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Thunder Megazord (Mighty Morphin)
For the Ninja Storm Megazord, see Thunder Megazord (Ninja Storm). The Thunder Megazord, also referred to as Mega Thunderzord or simply Megazord, is the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers' second Megazord formation, created by merging the five Thunderzords: the Tyrannosaurus Red Dragon Thunderzord, Mastodon Lion Thunderzord, Triceratops Unicorn Thunderzord, Sabertooth Tiger Griffin Thunderzord, and Pterodactyl Firebird Thunderzord. Overview The Thunderzords are the second set of Zords for the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. They were created from the Dinozords and had much greater strength than their previous forms. When Lord Zedd came to Earth, he created Pirantishead, who quickly used his powers to take control of the Tyrannosaurus Dinozord and the Dragonzord while freezing the other Dinozords. Zordon and Alpha 5 began work on the creation of the Thunderzords. By using the Dinozords as templates, they would use the "power of thunder" to transform the Dinozords into the Thunderzords. The Rangers first had to reclaim their Dinozords from Pirantishead, which they did after a struggle. Due to Tommy's waning powers as the Green Ranger, the Dragonzord could not be converted into a Thunderzord. After Tommy was granted the powers of the the White Ranger, the White Tigerzord was created to take its place. The Thunder Megazord and the White Tigerzord battled against Rito Revolto shortly after he joined Rita and Zedd on the moon. Although they appeared to be winning, the duel was really an elaborate trap. From the Moon, Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa used their powers to make Fighting Flea, Lizzinator, Octophantom, and Stag Beetle into giants, overwhelming the Power Rangers and resulting in their destruction. Zordon unfortunately commented that he can't bring the Thunderzords back. After receiving their Zeo powers from the Zeo Crystal, the Rangers gained new zords. Billy makes an offhand comment about recycling parts of "old Zords"; however it is unclear whether this refers to MMPR-era Zords like the Thunderzords or unused components used to construct the Zeozords, which were "old" compared to the newly-acquired Super Zeozords. Thunderzords Mastodon Lion Thunderzord The Mastodon was the template to create the more powerful Lion Thunderzord. The Zord was piloted by Zack Taylor and later Adam Park. Zordon explained that the Lion had "courage and strength". It did not share the same abilities as the Mastodon, but it was given greater armor and defense. The Mastodon Lion Thunderzord was part of the Thunderzord Assault Team, making up the forward component of the chariot. The Lion would serve as the arms, the torso, and helmet for the Thunder Megazord. Also, the Lion could combine with the other Thunderzords and the White Tigerzord to make the Mega Tigerzord, the Lion forming the shoulder pads and back. Pterodactyl Firebird Thunderzord The Pterodactyl Firebird Thunderzord is the Pink Mighty Morphin Ranger's second Zord. It was created from the Pterodactyl Dinozord, utilizing the former Zord as a template. The Pterodactyl Dinozord would be struck by a pink lightning bolt, transforming it into the Firebird. On its own, the Firebird was capable of creating an energy tornado and sending it towards monsters. The Firebird is one of the five components to the Thunder Megazord. When the Zord is formed, the Firebird would wrap itself around the Red Dragon Thunderzord's waist, forming the belt. Along with the rest of the Thunderzord Assault Team, it could also combine with the White Tigerzord to form the Mega Tigerzord. The Firebird would form a claw in the White Tigerzord's right arm, also serving as the Mega Tigerzord's common finishing move as it was launched from the arm and charged with energy. As part of the Thunderzord Assault Team, it sits on a pedestal behind the Red Dragon, wings outstretched. The Assault Team could then also form the top portion of the Thunder Ultrazord. The Firebird was summoned and used as part of the Mega Tigerzord without Pink Ranger on one occasion. Triceratops Unicorn Thunderzord The Triceratops was the template to create the more powerful Triceratops Unicorn Thunderzord. Piloted by Billy Cranston, it could launch large boulders at foes. It formed the right leg of the Thunder Megazord and Mega Tigerzord, and sat on the right side of the Assault Team. Its design is like that of a moving cart with a single front appendage that allows it to move. Sabertooth Tiger Griffin Thunderzord The Sabertooth Tiger Dinozord was the template to create the more powerful Sabertooth Tiger Griffin Thunderzord. Piloted by Trini Kwan and Aisha Campbell, it could project fireballs when used in combat on its own. It formed the left leg of both the Thunder Megazord and the Mega Tigerzord, and sat on the left side of the Assault Team. Like the Unicorn Thunderzord, its design is like that of a moving cart with a single front appendage that allows it to move. Tyrannosaurus Red Dragon Thunderzord The Tyrannosaurus Red Dragon Thunderzord was the second Zord of the Red Mighty Morphin Power Ranger (Jason Lee Scott and Rocky DeSantos) and the successor to the Tyrannosaurus Dinozord. The Red Dragon was the first Zord in the series to possess two battle modes: Dragon and Warrior. In Dragon mode, it could breathe flame and attack with its claws mid-flight. In Warrior mode, it would fight opponents by hand-to-hand combat or by wielding its staff that he could spin at high speeds to attack. It could also stand on the Thunderzord Assault Team's chariot and to ride the Tigerzord while it is in Tiger Mode. It could also merge with the other Thunderzords to form the Thunder Megazord, serving as the main portion of the Megazord. Similar to the Tyrannosaurus Dinozord, the Red Dragon is capable of fighting and defeating a monster on its own. Its wrists are capable of spinning at high speeds, allowing it to use its staff like helicopter blades as a finisher either on the ground or while diving from the Thunderzord Assault Team . Combined Forms Thunderzord Assault Team The Thunderzords '''could combine to form the Thunderzord Assault Team. The Lion, Unicorn, Griffin, and Firebird would combine into an airborne chariot, which the Red Dragon would ride in his warrior mode. On at least one occasion, Red Ranger was able to summon the Thunderzord Assault Team without the assistance of the other Rangers. Thunder Megazord The Thunder Megazord is created by merging the five Thunderzords: the Red Dragon, Lion, Unicorn, Griffin and Firebird. It was more powerful and resilient than its predecessor, capable of resisting Lord Zedd's attempts to enslave it without the aid of any external signal-blockers. The Rangers piloted the Thunder Megazord from the green orb on its chest. The Thunder Megazord uses its sword, the Thunder Saber, as a weapon, and powers up the sword before performing a big slash to finish the monster. Unlike the Thunder Megazord's predecessor, his sword does not fall from the sky, but is kept in a scabbard on his waist. If the sword is taken by a monster, the Thunder Megazord can charge it up and shock the monster. The Thunder Megazord is also capable of blowing mist from its hands, which acts as a weapon. Transformation The Red Dragon Thunderzord is the core of the Thunder Megazord, with the other four Zords acting as armor. The Unicorn and Griffin Thunderzords serve as the boots; the Firebird Thunderzord serves as the fauld; and the Lion Thunderzord serves as the cuirass and helmet of the Thunder Megazord. Additional Formations *The Lion, Griffin, and Unicorn Thunderzords could combine with Tigerzord to form '''Mega Tigerzord, with the Firebird Thunderzord as its projectile shield. *Red Dragon Warrior Mode, Thunderzord Assault Team, and Tigerzord can combine with Tor the Shuttlezord to form Thunder Ultrazord. Gallery MMPR Thundermegazord Head.jpg|Thunder Megazord Head MMPR S2 Thunder Megazord Saber.jpeg|Thunder Megazord Saber MMPR_Thunder Megazord_Cockpit.jpg|Thunder Megazord Cockpit MMPR_Thunder Megazord_Attacks.jpg|Thunder Megazord Attacks MMPR Thunder Megazord.jpg|Thunder Megazord with Staff Background Design PLEX designed the Thunder Megazord. Its design is based on ancient Chinese soldier armor, mostly mountain-pattern armor (Chinese: 山文铠; pinyin: shānwénkǎi). Like the armor, the silhouette of the Thunder Megazord is shaped like the Chinese character for the word "mountain" (山). The Red Dragon Thunderzord is designed like the legendary Monkey King, adorned with 'Hui' or rectilinear spirals, while the Thunderzord Assault Team are designed like stalwart, immovable palace statues. The Lion Thunderzord in particular is modeled after the statue of an Imperial guardian lion, the type that is found in Chinese temples, museums, and government offices, amongst other places. The Unicorn Thunderzord is incorrectly named, as its motif is based off of the winged horse Pegasus, as is the Griffin Thunderzord, which is a Qilin. Notes *Though normally referred to as the "Thunder Megazord," the original five Rangers on occasion referred to it as the "Mega Thunderzord." In "The Mutiny, Part 3," Zordon himself referred to it as the "Mega Thunderzord," even though he called it the "Thunder Megazord" in just the previous episode when introducing the new Zords to the Rangers. *Due to the intense level of splicing footage between Zyuranger, Zyu2 and Dairanger footage, the Thunderzords very rarely fought individually, with summonings quickly followed by a combination sequence. *Individual cockpits for the Thunderzords were never shown, due to the need to construct new cockpit sets to showcase the Zyuranger costumes instead of the Dairanger costumes. Indivdual zord cockpit sets were never made, only the Thunder Megazord received a newly constructed set. **In the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Live stage show, stock footage of the Dinozord cockpits were used to represent the Rangers piloting the Thunderzords. **According to Jeff Pruitt in the comment section of his Zyu2 videos on YouTube, all the footage of the Thunder Megazord's cockpit was all filmed in one day and was reusable throughout all the episodes. *The Thunderzords were nearly always summoned by their respective Rangers calling their Dinozord name, then the Thunderzord name, followed by a shot of the Dinozord transforming into the Thunderzord. However, when Zordon introduced the Zords to the Rangers he only called them by their Thunderzord designation. Jason also refers to his Zord as the only the Red Dragon in "The Power Transfer." In the second part of that episode, Zordon again does not use the Dinozord names when explaining the Zords to Rocky, Adam, and Aisha. *The Thunderzords were summoned without the Dinozord transformation in the following episodes: "White Light, Part II," "The Power Transfer, Part I," "Best Man for the Job," and "Wild West Rangers, Part II." *Thunder Megazord's spear never appeared in American footage as its only Dairanger appearance was in the film, which was not utilized for Power Rangers. It does appear in toy form and in the comics. *In some footage of the Red Dragon Thunderzord in dragon mode, RyuuRanger can be seen on top of the head of the Zord. *During many of the Megazord formations, the Unicorn Thunderzord's and Griffin Thunderzord's sounds are swapped, it's unknown if this was a production error. *The toyline referred to the combination of the Red Dragon Warrior Mode and the Thunderzord Assault Team as "Thunder Megazord Attack Mode," but this term was not used in the series. *Bandai toys were used to film the Dinozord to Thunderzord transformation sequences, which explains why Lion Thunderzord was decorated with thunderbolts and lost some green coloration. Rear legs were also added to the Zord; these limbs were absent from its Dairanger counterpart. *To drive the point that the Lion Thunderzord was Black Ranger's zord, the Lion Thunderzord's head was repainted black in the American toy release instead of green. The Lion Thunderzord originated as the Mythical Chi Beast Star-Shishi in Gosei Sentai Dairanger. This was the mecha of ShishiRanger who was green, hence why the Zord has green accents and green lightning appears in front of it in the Thunder Megazord's transformation sequence. *In the comics, the Thunderzord's circular chest-piece has three lines on it lined on like the Saban logo at the time of release. The comics also saw the Thunder Zords returning after their destruction as the vehicles of the Dark Rangers. Toys The Thunder Megazord has seen several deluxe releases, action figures, collectible figures and even remote-control versions. See Also de: Donner Megazord Category:Megazord Category:Mighty Morphin Category:Zords (Mighty Morphin 2) Category:Five-Piece Megazords